Left: Preliminary work is being done in the Hudson River to gather information for the building of a new Tappan Zee Bridge. / Joe Larese/The Journal News

Written by

| A Journal News editorial

A key vote on the Tappan Zee Bridge project has been delayed because of a lack of information. That’s unlikely to upend, or even delay, the $5.3 billion plan to build a new Hudson River crossing between South Nyack and Tarrytown that’s a key commerce link for the Northeast. But it does underscore the complexity of the fast-tracked project, which has moved at breakneck speed since October.

At the behest of the region’s three county executives — Westchester’s Rob Astorino, Rockland’s C. Scott Vanderhoef and Putnam’s MaryEllen Odell — the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council has postponed its July meeting; on the agenda was a vote to approve the project. NYMTC needs to officially add the Tappan Zee to the region’s long-term transportation plan before federal officials can give their stamp of approval. NYMTC votes must be unanimous.

The federal approval is expected to occur in September.

County leaders sought the postponement so they could review yet-to-be-released final environmental documents. Those are due to be completed by month’s end. The detailed environmental report will address thousands of public comments and could provide a much clearer picture of the project — and costs.

“The decision to postpone the vote was just common sense,” Astorino said Thursday. Noting the proximity to the release date for key project documents, Astorino said, “The final environmental impact statement is due shortly. Why would we have a vote before seeing what’s in it?”

State officials, too, focused on the importance of sharing information. “The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council’s decision to wait for a full review of the final environmental impact statement before voting on the new Tappan Zee Bridge will give us time to make sure community stakeholders are fully informed and will in no way delay the project,” said New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Tom Madison.

Blur of information

Speed vs. transparency has been a point of contention during the fast-tracked process that started in October with the Cuomo administration seeking, and the Obama administration granting, an expedited federal review process for replacing the overused, under-secure three-mile crossing.

(Page 2 of 2)

Neighbors, local officials and advocates for mass transit and the environment have said transparency has often been lost in the blur of a too-fast process.

Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged to provide more outreach to quell concerns. “(We’re) starting a whole outreach program, to talk to the issues, even if we say, ‘We don’t know yet,’ ” the governor told the Editorial Board on Friday. The administration confirmed Thursday that it would soon announce dozens of local meetings.

The Cuomo administration also recently addressed concern that the planned span, while being designed to accommodate mass transit, included no specific plans for mass transit.

The administration announced last week that buses would be allowed to use emergency lanes during rush hours. The announcement is hardly what transit advocates have been seeking, but still welcome. Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director Veronica Vanterpool called the announcement a “small victory.”

Documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act in February by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Riverkeeper were released last month by the state.

The data no doubt will help in their evaluation and monitoring of the project.

Still, plenty of mystery remains, including how the project will be financed and what tolls will be charged. The postponed Tappan Zee vote by NYMTC and Cuomo’s pledge to provide more outreach for locals can ensure that important information is included, even as the project keeps moving forward.